Who to Love, Who to Hate
by Pepes
Summary: Katara finds herself falling for her best friend and worst enemy. Lines are crossed, hearts are broken, friendships lost, trust is deciving, things arnt as they apear, rules are shattered, and betrayl lays just around the corner. Yay for overdramatic summ
1. A rescue

Authors Note-Hey, its my second fan fic. The summery seems overdramatic, oh well Anyways, the idea wouldn't leave me alone. For every two reviews I'll add another chapter. No Flames people, be nice;) Ideas are LOVED

**Disclaimer-I, of course, do not own Avatar….darn**

"Hey Katara, check this out!" Aang called happily as he began waterbending once more. Katara, eager to see what had him so excited, hurried over. The water slowly began to rise, forming a large ball that floated in the air. Aang stuck his tongue out in concentration and began to shape it better. Katara gasped as she saw the ball change into a beautiful heart floating in the air.

"Wow Aang, You've gotten really good!" She said excitedly. Aang smiled and sat down in the grass, watching as the sun was beginning to set. Katara strode over to him and joined him on the ground.

"So, who do you think can teach you firebending?"She asked. Aang looked away nervously. He was still afraid to fire bend, afraid that he would hurt someone.

"I don't think I'm going to learn to firebend."

"But Aang, you have to. You'll be able to control it, just have faith in yourself." Katara assured him. Aang smiled.

"Thanks Katara, you're the best. I just don't want to hurt you again, I care about you."He said. Katara was taken aback, then regained herself. _He said he cared about you, not that he loved you! Sokka cares about you to!_ Katara returned the smile, watching as the sky turned as soft purple and pink.

"I care about you to." She said, slowly closing her eyes. Her and Aang slowly leaned in towards each other, both of their eyes closed and a content look on their face. Soon their noses were about to touch as they got ready to kiss, when all of a sudden Sokka burst out. A small rabbit like creature was running around in panic from him, squealing all the way. Katara grunted and scowled at Sokka.

"Leave the poor thing alone!" She said, turning back to Aang. Where they about to kiss? She blushed slightly, and so did Aang. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Aang rubbed the back of his neck uneasily, and then pulled a beautiful flower out from behind his back. Its petals were a soft blue, just like Kataras eyes. The center held a breathtaking yellow and orange colors splashing and colliding with each other. Long orange pollen tips sprouted from it like eyelashes.

"I picked you a flower." He said, offering it to her.

"Oh Aang, its beautiful." She said, putting it behind her ear. Aang gulped, it matched her eyes so well.

"Your beautiful." He said. Katara blushed horribly, giggling. Aang was so delighted; things seemed to be looking good for him and Katara. He had had a crush on her since they met, just never had the courage to tell her. Katara stood up and brushed herself off, but Aang was lost in thought about her.

"Aang, are you coming?" She asked, offering her hand to help him up. Aang could have airbended himself up like he always did, but he wanted to hold Kataras hands. He gently grabbed it and helped pull himself up.

"Come on, we better go see if Sokkas ok." He said, pulling Katara back to the camp. 

Katara awoke early that morning, looking over to see Aang and Sokka sound asleep. The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet. Moving silently, she slipped out of her slipping bag and stole away into the woods. She began humming contently as she returned to the river that she and Aang had been at earlier. An eerie feeling crept up her spine as she felt like she was being watched, but she quickly pushed it aside. Breathing deeply, she focused on the water and began bending, trying to further perfect her water octopus. Suddenly, she heard something rustle in the bushes.

"Aang?" She asked, thinking that he was spying on her. She slowly went towards the bushes and reached out to part them. Suddenly, a massive form barreled into her and sent her sprawled on the ground. She groaned as her head struck the hard ground, trying to unblur her vision. Three boys, about Sokkas age, towered above her, a smug look on their faces. One of them was rather large with short orange hair. The other two appeared to be twins, both normal sized but rather skinny. One of the twins held a dagger in his hands, the blade wickedly twisted.

Katara opened her mouth to scream, but before a sound could come out, one of the twins shoved his hand over her mouth. He was a lot faster then she'd expected! Katara tried to jump to her feet, but he shoved her down again. Pulling a bandana from his pockets, he quickly appeared behind her and gagged her with it. She reached backwards to try and hit him, but he swiftly grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back. Katara tried to speak, but the gag proved to tight. She began thrashing wildly to free herself, yet the boy held fast to her arms. The larger one reached towards her and pulled a bag out of her pockets. Pouring it into his hands, he looked disappointed to find only a few copper pieces.

"This is all you have?" He said angrily. She felt her arm being twisted upwards and attempted to scream, but ended up having a coughing fit. The other twin with the dagger slowly walked towards her, a triumphant look on his face. Kataras own face twisted with fear as she began flailing, trying to break free. Where was Aang? As swift as the others had appeared, another boy came into the scene. _Not another!_ Katara thought. But this one barreled into the twin with the knife, sending him backwards.

"Hey!" The larger boy said as he ran at him. Katara gasped as she recognized Zuko fighting them. As the boy charged him, Zuko easily evaded the attack and swept his feet out from under him. Once on the ground, the prince sent a small wave of fire at him, burning his arm. He screamed in pain and got up, running at Zuko once more. Just as he neared him, Zuko leapt to the side and once more tripped the boy. But this time he crashed forwards, banging his head into a tree and falling to the ground, out cold. The remaining twin looked at Zuko for a moment before running off into the woods.

Katara reached behind her and untied the gag, coughing as it came loose. Looking up, she saw Zuko beginning to leave. Quickly she was on her feet and ran beside him.

"What was the all about, why did you save me?" She asked, curious. 

"Those boys have no honor, attacking a girl. They needed to be taught a lesson." Zuko replied, though he didn't look at Katara.

"Do you know who they were?"

"No." 

"Why are you here anyways?" Katara asked.

"Why do you keep asking me all these questions?" Zuko asked, annoyance clear in his voice. Yet Katara was unfazed.

"If you answer them, it will be much easier." Hearing this, Zuko stopped and whirled to the girl.

"I don't have to answer your questions you peasant, now leave!" He demanded harshly, yet Katara was once more persistent.

"Your not the king of this forest, so you cant tell me that I'm not allowed to be here." She said stubbornly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Not yet." Zuko quickly replied, his voice almost a whisper. This sent chills up Kataras spine. What did he mean by that? Did Zuko share his fathers ambition to control everything? They walked along in silence for a moment, both lost in thought.

"Why are you following me?" Zuko demanded. Katara suddenly realized that they were heading the same direction. She quickly leapt to her own defense.

"I'm not, our camp is this way." She snapped, then wished she could suck the words back in. She'd just told Zuko where Aang was! But the prince didn't respond to this, and gave no indication that he'd even heard her. Suddenly the forest disappeared behind them and gave way to the ocean.

"So, you've camped out in the water have you?" Zuko said sarcastically, mocking her. Katara grunted and spoke,

"Maybe I did, I am a waterbender." Zuko began to ponder this, could she really do that?_Of course not you idiot._ He thought to himself. The two stood there as the sun slowly began to rise. A slab of light that blazed through, followed by another, penetrated the dark sky. The sky was engulfed in golden light, bathing Zuko and Katara in it as well. How beautiful it was. Katara could not help but blush and look away form Zuko.

"Thank you Zuko, for saving me." Katara finally said, breaking the silence.

"Your welcome, just try not to get beaten so horribly again." Zuko said, a grin covering his face at the last part. Katara once more folded her arms, an indignant look on her face.

"They ambushed me! I could have taken all three if they hadn't caught me by surprise." She argued.

"You should never be off guard."

Katara gazed out into the sun rise, this was just like last night at the sun set. The sun set! Aang! They must be worried sick about her!

"Well, I have to get back to Sokka and Aang. Thank you again Zuko." She said. Zuko turned to look at her.

"Your welcome." He repeated. Katara began to walk away, then stopped herself. Coming back to Zuko, she spoke again,

"Zuko, I don't want to have to be rescued. Will you teach me how to fight like that, without my bending?" Katara asked. Zuko was at first shocked, then smiled, though didn't show his teeth.

"Yes, meet me by the river at midnight." Zuko replied. Katara smiled, excited. Before she even knew what she was doing, she hugged Zuko. She hugged Zuko! The guy that was trying to throw her best friend in a cell! Quickly she turned away, blushing. Looking at Zuko, she saw his head turned the other way. Yet she could tell from here his own cheeks were red.

"Well, I have to go, bye!" Katara said before running into the forest.


	2. Look who it is

Disclaimer-Heres my happy little disclaimer for the people who want to sue me, I don't own Avatar! So ha, lol 

**Authors Note-These first two chapters have just been Katara, Zuko, and Aang growing closer, but more action to come! Don't know if this will turn out as a Kataang or Zutara yet, but I'm leaning more towards a Kataang. Thanks for the reviews Envoywarrior and frozenheat**

Katara yelped as a thorn branch caught her skin, but quickly bit her tongue. She continued running as fast as she could while the sun climbed higher in the sky. Tripping over a branch, she caught herself by grabbing a tree trunk. _Aang and Sokka must be worried!_ She thought to herself as she ran. Finally, she burst out of the forest and into the camp. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath.

"Hey Katara." Aang said. Katara looked over to see him sitting on the ground eating berries. Katara put her hands on her hips, upset that he wasn't even a little worried. She was about to say something, then stopped in case he'd asked where she's been. Instead, she walked over and sat next to him.

"Hey Aang, where's Sokka?"

"He's chasing after some rabbit." Aang said, laughing. They both reached for a berry, and ended up touching hands. Both of them drew back, blushing horribly. Aang looked over at Katara and noticed something missing.

"Hey Katara, where's that flower that I gave you?" He asked, sounding a little disappointed that she wasn't wearing it. _She must not have liked it_ he thought to himself. Katara reached behind her ears and realized that he was right.

"It must have fallen out while I was waterbending." She said.

"Its ok, I know where we can get more." Aang said smiling as he airbended himself up. Katara followed him into the woods, and gasped as they came upon a meadow. Beautiful flowers of every color flourished there, and it seemed like a canvas. Grabbing her hand, Aang pulled Katara along as they ran through them, laughing and giggling.

Once they were tired, they found a spot free of flowers and sat down. Aang pulled a bouquet of lovely flowers. Katara smiled and accepted them, picking out one and putting it behind her ears.

"Oh Aang, thank you." She said, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. Aang smiled, wishing that this moment could last forever. They were so caught up in this that they didn't notice the two eyes watching them from inside the forest.

"We better get back and practice waterbending." Katara said finally, though she didn't want to leave either. Aang nodded and followed her back into the forest. 

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Katara opened her eyes, seeing that the moon was right above her. It was midnight. Silently, she crawled out of her sleeping bag and looked at Aang. He seemed so cute and peaceful while he was asleep. Looking at Sokka, she frowned. He on the other hand was tossing and snoring loudly. Finally, she crept off to the woods.

Emerging from the trees, she saw that Zuko was already there.

"Your late." He said unhappily.

"Not by much, and is that all you have to say to me?" Katara asked. _What? No hello, no good evening, no smile? Just a "your late?_.

"Fine, lets get started. Try and hit me." Zuko ordered. Katara was taken aback, as she didn't want to hurt the prince.

"But-"

"I said try and hit me." Zuko repeated, growing impatient. Katara ran at him, swinging her fist towards his head. Suddenly, Zukos other hand appeared like lightning and grabbed her wrist. Pulling it backwards, he forced her to spin around. Once that was done, he easily pinned her arm to her back. Normally he would have also shoved his opponent onto the ground, but for some reason he didn't. 

"Oww." Katara protested, bringing Zuko back from his thoughts. Releasing her, she rubbed her wrists and looked at him. 

"You're being to predictable." Zuko said sternly. 

Katara sighed and stepped back.

"Watch me." He said, running at her. Katara was, at first, amazed that he would hit her. She got into a low stance and readied for his punch. His fist drew back as she prepared to leap, when all of a sudden he was on the ground, supporting his body with just his hands. Before she could react, he sweep her feet out from under her with his leg. She crashed into the ground, rubbing her head.

"Oww." She moaned. Opening her eyes, she saw Zuko standing over her, his hand extended. She grabbed it, forcing back a blush, and heaved herself up.

"Like I said, don't be so predicable. And your defensive stance is all-wrong. Widen your legs and bend your knees, its easier to maneuver and harder to force you off-balance." Zuko said, demonstrating the proper stance. Katara watched, amazed. He was really good at this.

Katara backed away from him, getting ready to attack again. Charging, she swung her right fist at him. Zuko put up his arm, easily deflecting it. Suddenly, her other hand came around and almost hit him in the face. He looked surprised as he ducked and once more hit her legs out from under her.

"Better." Zuko said. She had almost hit him there, a good move. Make them watch this hand, instead of this one. But his reflexes proved to fast for her. They continued this for another good hour and a half, Katara failing to even land a blow on Zuko. Yet her rear end was beginning to hurt from all the times that she'd fallen.

"I think that covers it for the night." Zuko said finally, helping Katara up once more. She seemed disappointed.  
"You'll get the hang of it." Zuko promised. Katara looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks Zuko." She said.  
"I'll see you back here tonight?" Zuko thought about this, it couldn't hurt.

"Yes." He finally said. Katara seemed delighted that they could continue her training.  
"Well, I have to go. See you then!" She said. 

"Bye." Zuko replied, watching her run into the forest. 

_Shes a water-peasent, you shouldn't care about her._  
_I know, but I do_  
_No you don't!_  
_Yes, I do_  
_You cant!_  
_I shouldn't  
But I do_

"Where were you last night?" Aang asked as the trio woke up. Katara was at first in a loss for words. How could she explain this? Gulping, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I had to use the bathroom." Sokka seemed satisfied, but Aang didn't.

"That was a long break, I was up a while after you left." He said. Once more, Katara looked around nervously.

"Well, I couldn't sleep so after that I practiced my waterbending by the river." She said. Aang still seemed suspicious, but didn't further question her.

"We should probably leave today." Sokka said. Katara felt like slapping him, they couldn't just leave already! _But I'm not done training with Zuko! I want to finish, I want to learn how to defend myself, I want to see him again._Katara nearly gasped at her own thoughts. She wanted to see Zuko again? The guy who wanted Aang in chains? Katara couldn't understand what was going on with her.

"No, lets rest for another few days. We have a long journey ahead of us, and Appa needs a break." Aang insisted. Katara wanted to reach over and kiss his cheek, but then Aang **would** know she was up to something.

_a few days later_

Katara grunted as Zuko jumped in the air, spinning and bringing a hard heel to strike her in the gut. She fell backwards, rubbing her stomach. He sure wasn't taking it as easy on her as when they first started. She had gotten a lot better over the past few days, and had managed to hit Zuko a few times.

The first rays of the sun began to show through the trees. _Wow, we really lost track of time._ She thought to herself. Over the days, Katara had not only gotten better at fighting, but she and Zuko had grown closer.

"Its getting late—I mean early. I should probably head back to camp." Katara said, giggling at her mistake. 

"Yeah. You've gotten really good Katara." Zuko said, rubbing the back of his neck. Katara blushed and smiled at him. 

"Thanks, I had a good teacher." This time Katara could tell that it was Zuko who was blushing. Suddenly, Katara wrapped her arms around Zukos neck….._and kissed him!_ For a moment, both of them looked dumb-founded, and both were blushing horribly. _I just kissed Zuko, and liked it!_ Katara thought to herself. This was so wrong. But before she could say anything else, Zuko wrapped his arms gently around her waist. Katara felt her heart flutter as his lips gently brushed hers before pressing passionately into them. Katara wanted this moment to last forever, and hated it when it ended.

"Well, I have to go." She said.

"Bye." Katara ran off into the woods, her heart beating out of her chest. _I just kissed my worst enemy, and I liked it!No!_

Before she knew it, Katara was back at the camp. Sokka was, of course, rummaging through the food sack while Aang was patting Appa.

"Hey Katara, where were you?" Aang asked. Katara was once more unsure of what to say.

"Looking for food."

"Without the food sac?"

"I forgot it." Katara said, growing uncomfortable under Aang's questioning. She walked over to Sokka and grabbed the bag, ignoring his growl of protest.

"C'mon Aang, lets go find some." Aang was only to happy to follow Katara into the woods, forgetting his suspicion. The two walked in silence, all except for Kataras sweet humming. Aang loved her hums, they were so beautiful. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, grabbing her hand. Katara blushed, but didn't try to work her hand free.

_What about Zuko?_  
_Forget him! Aang is your friend, Zuko is your enemy_  
_You weren't thinking that when you kissed him_

Katara was so confused about her emotions. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice when they came to a stop until she felt Aang let go of her hand. Looking around, she saw him looking up at a large apple tree. He pulled out his staff and swung it through the air, sending a sharp gust of wind at the fruit. Half a branch fell to the ground, the force cut right through them. Aang grinned and began picking off the apples, smiling as Katara laughed. But suddenly, her blood went cold.

"Well, look who it is. And shes brought an airbender."

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Zuko paced back and forth in his room, ignoring the knock on the door. 

_Don't tell me that you have feelings for this peasent girl?_  
_I don't_  
_Yes you do, admit it_  
_No I don't! I'm a prince, shes a peasent._  
_You're a banished prince, shes a beautiful water tribe girl._  
_I thought you didn't want me to like her?_  
_Me, hey I am you. Your thinking this_

Zuko growled. Not only was he in love with some water tribe rat, but he was talking, no arguing, with himself! This was so messed up.


	3. How Could You?

Chapter 3 

**Authors Note-Chapter three, I'm on a role. Reviewers rock! Thanks Brix(I love cookies), Watcher of the Hearts, and Frozenheart again! Warning, some Zutara in the next chapters for Zutara fans, but the story will end in Kataang(im 99 sure)**

**Disclaimer-I don't own a tv show, nope, not avatar either. So sad….**

Katara spun around, a look of horror on her face.

"You know these guys?" Aang asked, confused. The larger one, whose name we will assume is Bear, stepped forward.

"Oh yeah, her and her boyfriend were around here a few nights ago." Katara bit her lip, why did he have to say that? Aang gave her a puzzled look. 

"Boyfriend? A few nights ago? What's he talking about Katara?" Katara didn't want to say anything, so she didn't. Yet she so badly wanted to punch one of the twins, Frog, when he spoke. 

"You know, that guy with the scar. He decided to interfere with our fun." Aang looked shocked. _A scar….Zuko!_

"Zuko saved you?" Aang asked, puzzled. Maybe Zuko was changing.

"Oh yeah, and they've been sneaking off together ever since." Frog said. Katara turned away from Aang, who was looking at her in disbelief.

"That's what you've been doing at night? Sneaking off with Zuko!" Aang demanded.

Katara fought back her tears as she answered him.

"He was teaching me self-defense." She said.

"A likely story." Bear quickly replied. Katara glared at him, turning back to Aang.

"But do you like him?" Aang asked, his voice nothing more then a soft whisper. Katara could feel a tear slide down her cheek, but didn't wipe it away.

"N-"

"Tell me the truth Katara." Aang said coldly.

"Yes." Katara forced out, fighting back a sob. But Aang didn't fight back. She looked up and saw him crying, his gray eyes looking crushed and hopeless.

"Aang." She said, trying to place a hand on his shoulder. He jerked away. Suddenly, he whirled around.

"How can you like him Katara! Hes fire nation, they killed your mom! Your dads fighting them right now! They want to enslave the world and kill you water benders. He wants me chained to a wall where I'll be tortured and starved! How Katara, How!" Aang demanded, his voice cracking with the effort of not sobbing.

"Aang, I cant help it if I love him." Katara whispered softly.

"But I love you Katara!" Aang said. Katara looked at him in disbelief, was he serious? Was this all a joke? Were Sokka and Zuko going to jump out of the forest and start laughing? How she wished that would happen, but it didn't. 

"Aang…I-I didn't know." Katara said, reaching out for him. But her jerked away again. Grabbing his glider, he jumped into the air and disappeared.

"Well…That was interesting." Bear said. Katara spun around, whipped out her canteen and sent a ball of water at him. It hit him square in the chest, knocking him back. Frog and his brother, Toad, leapt at her. Katara water-whipped them, though it only hit Toad. Frog tackled her, knocking her to the ground. Katara grunted with pain, then heard Frog yelp in pain. His weight was lifted off her, and she saw Zuko standing next to her. His knuckles were smoking, and fire had engulfed Frogs shirt.

"Picking on a girl again?" Zuko growled.

Bear and Toad exchanged glances before running into the woods, soon followed by a smoking Frog. Zuko extended her hand and helped her up.

"What was that all about?" He asked. Katara looked away.

"Nothing. I have to go." She said before running off towards their camp, leaving a stunned Zuko behind her.

As she burst into the clearing, she saw Sokka looking downcast.

"Wheres Aang?" She asked.

"He left. He said that he needed to continue his journey alone, and that you'd two already said goodbye." Sokka replied. Of course he'd tried to talk the young avatar out of it, but Aang wouldn't even listen.

"Oh Sokka, he left because….I like Zuko.A lot." Sokka looked at her, open-mouthed.

"WHAT!" He finally yelled.

"Sokka! I feel bad enough, I don't need this from you." Katara growled harshly.

"I cant believe you Katara! Aang liked you, a lot! You two were best friends, and you drove him away with your stupid crush!"

"Sokka!" Katara yelled.

"No, Katara! You drove away Aang, he was part of the family! Zuko wants to hurt your best friend, don't you see that? He's probably just using you as a tool to catch Aang."

"Shut up! No he's not!" 

"Open your eyes Katara! Zuko is the heir to the nation that's going to enslave the entire world and completely crush Aang!" Sokka yelled. Katara looked at him, astonished.

"I don't need this! I'm going to find Zuko." She said, folding her arms, furious.

"I'm finding Aang!" Sokka said before storming off. Katara watched him go, tears in her eyes.

_Is one guy worth losing your brother and your best friend?_  
_That's just it, he's more then one guy_


	4. She Loves Someone Else

Chapter 4 

**Authors Note-Chapter 4 up already. Since I cant decide which way to go with this story as far as Zutara and Kataang, I might just make an alternate ending or something. Idk yet, will think about it. In the mean time, Thanks to ****abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1...****(haha, I totally agree, trying to keep it clean though;)) and Inulvr7(aww, I totally get what you mean…oocness, not so good with it))**

**Disclaimer-If I owned Avatar, do you honestly think that I would be wasting my time writing these fanfics? Nope….don't own it….**

"Aang! Aang!" Sokka called as he blindly made his way through the forest. Suddenly, a small swarm of angry bees began stinging the unsuspecting warrior. Yelling, he began flailing his arms wildly and running. Not seeing the hill, he began tumbling down it. His screaming became louder, then stopped when he finally hit the bottom. Putting himself into a sitting position, he rubbed his head.

"Owww….At least I got rid of the bees." He said. Looking around, he saw Aang sitting on Appas tail. With a small smile of delight, Sokka ran over to the young boy.

"Aang, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sokka said, putting his hand on Aangs shoulder. Aang turned around, forcing a smile.

"Hey Sokka." He said weakly. Sokka knew what was wrong, and he felt bad for the kid.

"Aang, listen. Katara doesn't know what's going on with herself. She likes you, that's why she's so confused." He explained, trying to cheer up the small avatar. Seeing a gleam of hope in Aangs large, gray eyes he smiled.

"She does?"

"Yeah Aang, I know she does." Sokka said. He didn't like the idea of his little sister being with someone, but he knew that there was no one that cared about her more then Aang, beside himself.

"Where is she?" Aang asked. He wanted to make things right. He wanted to see Katara again. He just wanted to hug her.

"I don't know, but we'll find her." Sokka said confidently. Aang smiled and jumped up on Appas back.

"Come on Sokka!" He said excitedly. Sokka hurriedly climbed aboard the great beast, eager to see his sister again.

"Yip Yip!" Aang said, snapping the reigns. _We'll find her, we have to find her_

"Zuko." Katara gasped as she nearly ran into the young prince. He was standing on the beach, his ship not far off.

"Katara! What's wrong?" The young prince asked, seeing her eyes waterlogged. Katara sniffled and spoke.

"Aang…he left. Sokka went with him." She said. _in other words, I have nowhere to go._  
Zuko wrapped his arms around the waterbender, comforting her.

"You can come on my ship with me, if you'd like." He offered. Katara looked up into his deep, golden eyes. Where else did she have to go?

"Thank you Zuko." She said, smiling. Zuko returned the smile and lead her up onto the ship. They appeared to be almost ready to depart. _Where can she stay?_ Zuko wondered, before remembering his uncles old room. Zuko lead her down the many corridors of the ship until they stood before a metal door.

"This can be your room." He said, opening the door to reveal her new room. It had a queen-sized bed tucked away in the corner. A wardrobe lay in the other side of the room, and a nightstand next to the bed. There was a large black rug spread out on the floor, along with a deep red fire nation insignia on the wall. 

"Thanks." Katara said as she walked into it. Suddenly, she realized how very tired she was. Yawning, she turned back to Zuko.

"I'm rather tired, I think I'll go to bed now." Zuko nodded and left the room. Slipping into the bed, Katara loved how comfortable it was compared to the ground she usually slept on. 

_you cant just forget about Aang and Sokka_  
_You cant love Zuko!Its to wrong!_  
_I cant, but I do._  
Katara sighed and turned onto her side. _Did Sokka find Aang?_ She wondered to herself. Thinking this was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep.

Katara opened her eyes upon hearing a loud knock on the door. Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her eyes. 

"What?" She called, not rising from the bed.

"Its me. Breakfast will be ready shortly." Zuko said from the other side of the door. Katara took a moment to stretch her arms before opening it. She followed Zuko down the hallway and into a large room, where Iroh was already sitting and enjoying a cup of tea. Katara sat down, and Zuko sat next to her. She was happy just to be in his presence, but couldn't help but wonder about Aang.

"So, why have you decided to sail with me and my nephew?" Iroh asked as the three ate. Katara looked up from her food, unsure of what to say.

"Well…I have a feeling that I'm not welcome to travel with Aang anymore." She explained.

"Aang?…Oh, the avatar." Iroh said, taking a moment to remember whom the boy was. Zuko, who had been silent the entire time, finally stood.

"I'm going up to train." He announced, heading out the door without so much as a wave. Katara folded her arms._Not very talkative._. She was taken out of her thoughts as she heard Iroh speak again.

"There is little for a women to do on this ship for entertainment, perhaps you would enjoy watching Zuko spare?" He suggested. Katara nodded. 

"Very well, I shall take you to the upper deck." Iroh rose from his pillow on the ground and motioned for Katara to follow. The two wound their way through the ship, which seemed more like a maze. They needed a map posted on every wall! Finally, Iroh lead her up a set of steps and onto the deck.

Zuko stood on one side whilst two other soldiers stood on the other. Suddenly, one soldier shot a small column of fire at the prince. Katara gasped, thinking it was about to hit him. Yet Zuko wouldn't be bested with such a basic move. Lifting his arms, he easily deflected it. The two soldiers, as if on cue, shot another ray of fire at him at the same time. Zuko jumped in the air, evading the fire. While still in mid-air, he spun around and kicked, delivering a blast of fire that knocked both the soldiers off their feet. Zuko appeared disappointed at how easily they'd been defeated.

"I'll spare with you." Katara said, standing up and walking over to Zuko. He looked at her, surprised.

"Are you serious?" He asked.

"Zuko, it would do you good to fight one who bends something other then fire. After all, not all of your opponents shall be fire benders." Iroh chimed in from the background. He was about to mention that the avatar was a waterbender as well, but remembering Katara he decided it would be best not to bring him up. Zuko nodded, taking a fire-bending stance. Katara did the same, undoing her canteen. Suddenly, Zuko shot a blast of fire from his wrist. Katara jumped to the side._He's actually trying to hit me!_ She thought, surprised. _No duh, it's a duel_. The smarter part of her brain said.

She brought a water whip from her canteen and shot it at the prince, who blocked it with a hand of fire. She frowned, gathering up water from the ocean. Bringing a small wave aboard, she attempted to crash it down upon him. Zuko appeared taken by surprise, and was washed down by the force of the water. Jumping to his feet, he spun and shot several continue fire balls at Katara. She gave a small yelp of surprise, jumping out of the way.

The breath was knocked out of her as a ball hit her in the chest, making her stumble backwards. Zuko, seeing his chance, sent a wave over the ground at her feet. Katara was forced to keep stumbling. This was just like his fight with Zhao. He shot a blast of fire at her stomach, in an attempt to knock her down. But Katara regained herself surprisingly fast and leapt out of the way. Maybe this wasn't like his duel with Zhao. A stray whip of water zipped by his face, almost hitting him.

Zuko grunted, it was time to finish this. Whirling on Katara, he shot another column of fire at her. She blocked it with her waterbending, but before she could make an attack another column was hurled at her. This continued, her not having a spare second to make an attack, when finally a powerful blast knocked her down. Katara rubbed her head and opened her eyes, only to find Zuko standing next to her. A smug grin was on his face, and Katara felt like wiping it off.

He extended a hand, which Katara gladly grabbed and heaved herself up.

"I'd say that I won this round." He said triumphantly. Katara replied by sending a small splash of water in the princes face. He frowned disapprovingly, wiping the water from his eyes. He would have given her a bit of fire to the face, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"I'm going to take a bath, there are some clean cloths for you in your room." Zuko said before walking off. _What is it with him? Hasn't he ever heard of good-bye?_Katara thought grouchily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where is she?" Aang asked, growing impatient with their search.

"Hold on, let me pull out my crystal ball and find her." Sokka replied. Aang reacted to this in a very mature fashion; he stuck his tongue out at Sokka.

_Why are you looking for her anyways? She turned her back on you._

_No she didn't, she just loved someone else._

_Exactly, so she doesn't love you_

_Maybe she does, maybe she just can't see it yet_

_I can't believe your going to go crawling back to her, she stabbed you in the back! I can't help it_

_What if you find her, and she's with Zuko?What if he kidnapped her?_

_Then I'll save her and win her back_

_What if she doesn't want to be back with you?_

Aang gulped deeply at these thoughts. What if Katara was to deeply in love with Zuko to come back with him? He pushed the thoughts aside. He should be mad, no furious at her, but he just couldn't. He loved her far too much for that.

"Aang look!" Sokka cried suddenly, pointing to the ground. Aang looked down hopefully, expecting to see Katara. Instead, all he saw was the food sac. Worry gripped him as he remembered what had happened. _Why did I just leave her alone to fight those guys?_ He groaned to himself. He was such an idiot! He reined Appa downwards until they landed with a heavy thud.

"Sokka, those guys must have got her!" Aang said.

"What guys?"

"There were these three guys back in the woods…" Aang said, trailing off. He didn't want to tell Sokka that he'd left his little sister alone to fight them.

"Three? Aang, there's only one other set of footprints." Sokka pointed out. Aang looked down to see that he was right. One set appeared to have come from the forests. Sokka could tell that the owner had been running, for the strides were far apart. The other seemed to have been walking, and the slurred sand told of a collision.

"Come on, let's follow them." Sokka said, grabbing Aangs arm and pulling him along the beach. Aang sighed, depressed to see that Katara was not here. He knew whose footprints that were next to hers…Zuko.

The tracks stopped suddenly, as if the two had grown wings and flown away. Aang tilted his head, confused. Sokka studied the sand again, noticing a giant tilt in it. A ship had been here.

"Aang, she's on a ship." Sokka said. He knew who's ship it was, but didn't want to tell Aang in fear that it would crush Aangs already fragile heart. But Aang already knew, afraid to tell Sokka in case he exploded with rage and worry. Yet the little airbender figured that Sokka needed to know.

"Zuko's ship." He finally said. Sokka turned to him.

"I know. Don't worry Aang, we'll find her." Sokka assured him. Aang hoped that he was right, he couldn't stand being away from Katara for so long. They both climbed on top of Appa and set off, hoping they were flying towards the ship. But at the moment, that's all they could do…hope.

Zuko stared at Katara for a moment, marveling at her beauty he never noticed before. She wore a black fire nation gown, sparkling flames dancing up the sides. It cut off at the shoulders, dipping ever so slightly at her neck. Usually the fire nations bold colors made their skin look sickly pale, but her brown tone seemed like smooth honey in it. It hugged her curves easily, but not so tight. It was not low cut, yet still appealing.

"Y-you- you look….acceptable." Zuko said, choking on his words. Katara frowned at him. Acceptable? Couldn't he say nice, pretty, even decent? But acceptable? It sounded like she was barley passing.

"Thanks." She muttered. She missed Aang and Sokka dearly, she wanted to see them both so bad. Zuko cast her another quick look, noticing the sad look in her eyes. He wished that he would wipe it away. Maybe if he regained his throne she would be more pleased to be in his company. Maybe…she could be the fire lady some day.

The thought seemed to delight Zuko. That was it. He'd capture the avatar, regain his throne, and propose to her. _Propose!_ His mind screamed.

_You cant marry her!_

_Shes water, your fire…opposites_

_Hey, opposites attract_

_Your father wouldn't accept it_

_Yes he would, once I regain my honor he will_

Zuko stared off into the distance. A small island was approaching, one where the ship could land to replenish its supplies. The avatar was probably chasing them now. _Perfect. _Everything was falling so perfectly into place, and Zuko had the perfect plan.

Dun dun dun….just had to add that 


	5. Gray Eyes Watching

Chapter 5 

**Authors Note-Ah, Chapter 5. Here are more people who rock! Skeedodle(hmm…he might who knows?), abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1(lol, love the music), aashi (aww, thank you yeah, Zuko did seem to be a bit lost in the beginning) and Envywarrior again(im hurrying lol). You guys are all great! Once again, shortened chapter at attempt of a cliffhanger.**

**Disclaimer-Nope, I don't own Avatar the last Airbender…yet…someday **

"Aang, lets land here. This is the only island I can find on my map near here, and Zuko will need to stop for supplies." Sokka said, studying their map of the world. It never did them much good though, for they hardly ever knew where they were. Yet since a local fisherman pointed out their location, he'd been trying to keep up with it. He turned to Aang, seeing a hopeful gleam in his large gray eyes.

"Good, I hope they stop here, Appas getting tired." Aang said, directing the bison downwards. Appa replied with a grateful grunt, eager to rest. They dove downwards, barley sticking the landing. Immediately, the bison closed his eyes and a dull snoring could be heard.

"Looks like we'll be here for a while." Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head. Now, when would Zuko arrive. Would Zuko arrive? The thought seemed to be haunting him, what if his little sister was being held prisoner aboard his ship? The thought infuriated him, and Aang noticed.

"Um…Sokka…are you okay?" He asked uneasily. Sokka turned to him, cooling down. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna go look for some food." He said, turning into the woods. Aang didn't look after him, his gaze was fixed on the ocean. He strained his eyes, searching for the tiniest dot that could be called a ship.

There! 

There it was! A gray form was flowing across the ocean, cutting through the water like butter. Aang had never been so happy, actually he'd never been happy, to see a fire navy ship. The thick smoke billowing from its pipes betrayed its allegiance, and Aang was only too hopeful that it would be Zuko.

What if she doesn't want to come back?

Katara looked up as a knock hit her ears. Facing the door, she quietly called out,

"Come in."

Slowly the door creaked open to reveal a teenage boy with a rather large scar on his face.

"We'll be stopping at the port to gather supplies." He said. Katara stared at him, what did he expect from her? Did he want her to jump up and down with glee?

"Okay…." She said, trailing off as a signal that he needed to tell her more. 

"Would you like to stay aboard the ship or come into the market with us. I believe that you will be n-needing more.. cloths." Zuko said, seeming to stumble over his words. Katara smirked, watching him squirm.

"Okay, I'll come." She said. Iroh had been right, there was little for a girl to do aboard the ship as far as entertainment goes. She'd spent most of her time practicing waterbending, though she made sure no one saw her. For some reason she felt, uneasy, waterbending near the fire benders.

Zukos head disappeared as she answered. Katara frowned unhappily. 

"Bye to you to." She called out, but got no reply. She'd get a bye out of him one day. But when she thought about it, she didn't want him to say bye.

Then what do you want to here?  
How about, hello, good morning, greetings, welcome, I love you… 

Katara shook her head. She wasn't supposed to be falling for Zuko…She wasn't supposed to be falling for Zuko…She wasn't… she was falling for Zuko.

Stepping out of the ships dock, Katara overlooked the town. It was a small earth kingdom island, though they seemed all to happy to help out the fire nation. Katara was suspicious, yet no one else seemed to notice. Shrugging her shoulders, she followed Zuko into the market place. 

They passed many stores and boutiques, Katara making sure to stop at as many as she could. It only delighted her more to see Zukos annoyed face as she stopped again, and to see him blush as she asked him to hold a new dress, shirt, or even breast band for her.

Katara stopped in front of a sapphire blue gown, hanging up in a stores window. Its long, flowing sleeves seemed meant to let your hands hide inside. The bottom was longer, frilling out and spilling like an oceans wave. The neck line similar to the last one, though a bit lower. Its color was a dazzling sapphire blue, just like her eyes.

Zuko caught her admiring the gown. He sighed, pulling out another hand full of coins and depositing it on the desk. Katara seemed delighted at the latest purchase, gathering the dress in her arms and admiring it. She'd never seen anything like it, ever.

"Are you quite finished?" Zuko said, impatience in his voice.

"Maybe." Katara replied, so absorbing in her dress that she'd barley heard him.

"Maybe doesn't cut it, lets go." Zuko said, finally losing what little patience he had left. He grabbed Katara's hand and began pulling her towards the ship. Suddenly, she stopped. He turned around, wondering what she was doing or looking at now. Her eyes were downcast, staring at their locked hands. Zuko immediately realized that he hadn't grabbed her hand in the "I'm dragging you out of here" kind of way. It was more "I'm never going to let you go" Kind of way. He blushed horribly, releasing her hand and walking towards the ship.

Katara followed, her heart abound with joy. Her skin still tingled from his warm touch, craving it again. Almost like…Aangs. She closed her eyes, picturing the happy young boy again. Aang was 12, she was 14, Zuko was 16. There was the same difference in years, but it was…different.

Zuko and Katara were more mature then Aang. He's to young, its probably just a crush. He cant really love me..can he?

Katara wondered.

Oh noo…You cant be thinking about Aang that way again.  
Why not?  
You've made your choice  
Its not written in stone  
But will Aang agree?

This sure shut that part of Katara up(what's with my characters arguing with themselves?). Katara groaned, realizing that she still had feelings for Aang.

Yet once everyone was aboard, the ship did not depart.

"What's going on?" She asked Zuko.

"We're staying for a few days." He replied, though it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. Yet Katara was persistent.

"Why?" She demanded.

"Because….the ship is having problems." Zuko said, turning to face her. Boy, Zuko was one good liar. Katara was still unsure of his answer, but figured it was better to not anger the prince. After all, he'd bough ten her that lovely dress. Turning her head away, she stared into the forest. Gasping, she drew back. She thought she saw a pair of gray eyes watching them. Blinking, she looked again. They were gone.

Kataras eyes shot open as she heard the slamming of a heavy metal door. Acutally it wasn't a slam at all. The noise was very silent. Whoever had made it didn't want anyone to know that they were leaving. But Katara had been having trouble anyways, and to her it had pierced the silence.

Slowly crawling out of bed, she tip-toed to her door. It creaked open at a snails pace as she peeked out into the once empty hallway. A lone figure stood in it, motionless. She opened the door a bit more to get a better look. The figure began walking, towards her door. Katara quickly shut it and jumped onto her bed, pretending to be asleep. Yet as she heard the soft footsteps pass her door, she got up again and looked outside.

The figure had his back to her now, and was heading for the stairs. Katara pondered wether or not she should follow him…or her. Finally deciding to, she slipped out of the door as quietly as possible and headed down the hallway. The person continued walking, right off the ship. Katara waited a moment, hiding behind on of the walls, before she to went down the ramp.

For a moment, it simply stared into the forest. Then it began walking into it, a lazy pace. Katara quickly followed, relieved that they were going in the woods. After all, there would be more places to hide. Keeping close to the shadows of the trees, she crept through the forest.

She began to feel incredibly uneasy. Here she was, following someone or something she doesn't even know, through a dark forest in the middle of the night. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. There was no on in front of her, no soft sound of footsteps. _Where'd he go?_ She thought.

Boy, now she was feeling uneasy. No, not uneasy. Katara was scared. She braced herself, opening her canteen. If something were to attack her out here, she wasn't going down without a fight. The sound of a leaf crunching snared in her attention as her head swung to the side. She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the dark forest.

Sighing, she began to turn around. Before she had an idea of what was going on, a strong hand closed around her mouth from behind, pulling her to the ground.


	6. Get Away From Her

**Chapter 6 ******

**Authors Note- Another Chapter is up and ready to read, score! Warning to Kataang fans and younger children-some intimate romance for Zutara in this chapter, but nothing drastic. Hmm… this chapter seemed to be told more from Zukos point of view…opps. ****  
**

**Disclaimer-Nope, I don't own Avatar  
**

Katara let out a yelp of surprise as she was roughly pulled to the ground. She attempted to get up, but was held fast.

"Get off!" She demanded angrily, trying to grab her canteen that ad been knocked away.

"Katara?" A confused voice asked. A small fire illuminated a circle around them, revealing Zuko holding her to the ground. He stood up, an annoyed look cast over his face.

"What are you doing following me?" He asked, though his voice said that it was more of a command to answer then a question. Katara stood up, rubbing her arms. She frowned unhappily at him.

"How do you know I was following you? Maybe I was just going for a walk." She said.

"Behind me, exactly where and when I go?" Zuko said, growing more irritated. Katara didn't really care if he was irritated or not, he couldn't tell her that she wasn't allowed out.

"Fine, I didn't know who you were. I saw you getting off the ship and followed you. What are you doing out here?" She said, beginning to wonder why he was sneaking out. Zuko turned away from her.

"I've the right to a walk don't I?" He snarled. Katara drew back, startled by his harsh tone. Zuko sighed, knowing that he was overreacting a bit. Turning to her, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry. I was just out for a walk, care to join me?" He asked. Katara looked at him, still glaring.

"Fine." She said, acting as if he'd asked her to hug some troll. Yet inside, Katara was delighted at the chance to walk with Zuko, anywhere. Just to be near him.

For a while the two walked in a surprisingly comfortable silence. Katara smiled as they came upon a clearing, though this was no ordinary one. Instead of grass, the middle contained a pure lake. Its water was a deep blue, the moon and stars reflecting off it perfectly. Its surface was as smooth as glass, making it look like a version of the sky. Katara gave a small gasp, walking forwards to admire it.

Zuko reluctantly followed her. What was so great about the lake? It was just some giant puddle. Waterbenders. He thought to himself, almost rolling his eyes. Katara knelt down, running her fingers slowly though the rippling water. Zuko began walking smoothly towards her, at least until a rock seemed to find its way in front of his foot. 

He stumbled forwards, losing his balance. Crashing in Katara, he sent both of them sprawling into the icy lake. For a moment, he remained submerged. _Smooooth._

Coming up to the surface, he spat out the water that had leaked into his mouth. Looking over he saw that they were only a few yards from the shore, and the water was already incredibly deep. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Where was Katara? The sound of splashing caught his attention, and he turned to see the young girl walking up the shore. She was dripping wet, and shivering slightly.

"Zuko!" She said angrily, turning around. He looked up at her, astonished. 

"What! It was an accident." He said.

"I'm sure."

"You really think I would have jumped in to if it was on purpose?" He said, finishing off feeling triumphant. Apparently he was, for Katara said nothing else. Instead, she began to storm off.

"Don't tell me your afraid of the water." Zuko taunted, a mischievous feeling crawling up him. Katara turned around, growing irritated. 

"I'm a waterbender, of course I'm not afraid." She declared. Zuko smirked.

"That doesn't mean anything." He said.

"I'm not afraid!" Katara insisted.

"Prove it." Zuko said daringly. Katara began to catch on, knowing he simply wanted to swim. Well, maybe he didn't, but she did. Katara slowly pulled off her water tribe robe, revealing her white two-piece bathing suit (like the one she wore in the Cave of Two Lovers). Zuko stared at her, not even realizing that his mouth was open. But Katara realized, and blushed.

"I—w—wow." He finally stammered. Katara smiled at him, slowly slinking into the cool water. She felt chilled as its coldness crept up her, but then began to numb completely. Slowly, she made her way over to Zuko, her eyes closed. Zuko at this point was barley able to move, so entranced by her own movements. He could watch her forever.

Suddenly, Katara dove underwater. Zuko was stunned, waiting for her to resurface. She came up behind him, giggling slightly. He turned around, only to find that she'd gone under again. For a moment, there was more silence. Another giggle came from behind him again. Now Zuko was growing irritated. He whirled around, only to find ripples.

Getting a breath, he dove underwater. For a moment, he simply floated there. Finally, he opened his eyes. The lake was surprisingly clear, and he could see almost everything, except Katara. Turning around, he saw her. She was floating peacefully on her side, her dark hair swirling beautifully around the water. Now Zuko was speechless. They both swam upwards, taking in a deep breath before swimming under again.

Opening his eyes, he saw that they were incredibly close. If she had been breathing, he could have felt it. For a moment, he stared into her soft, welcoming eyes. She was so beautiful. To Zuko, it felt like someone else were in his body. Like he was just watching the show. An arm extended, wrapping around the water girls waste. She made no move away, and instead wrapped her own slim arms around his neck.

The two of them closed their eyes, leaning in towards one another. Everything was so still, so peaceful, as they floated so near one another. Suddenly, Zuko felt their lips brush. It wasn't an intimate kiss, nor was it a small peck. Whatever it was, they both wanted more. There was something else they wanted though, air. Swimming upwards, they surfaced and turned to face each other.

Katara looked around them, noticing a small circle of light that surrounded them. Confused, she looked up. With a smile, she realized that they were in the middle of the moons reflection. How romantic. Zuko noticed as well, losing himself to that other person again. Her inched closer to her, working her hands onto her lower waist and gently leaning into her. Katara closed her eyes, feeling his large muscles and warm body against hers. She felt like she could float away.

Turning to him, she moved towards his face. Their lips meet briefly, but soon opened. Katara felt his tongue work into her mouth, though not roughly by any manner. She meet it with her own, feeling an unnormal peace over her. His hands slid up and down her body, caressing her curves and warming her back. She pressed harder into his lips, finding her own way into his mouth.

Their heads tilted slightly more, allowing the kiss to last even longer. Both of them appeared to have lost themselves, both seemed so in love. But were they?

Finally, they broke apart. Katara stared into his deep, powerful yet compassionate golden eyes. Smiling, she made her way to the shore. Zuko followed, lying down on the soft grass if the embankment. Katara followed, feeling very tired all of a sudden. Lying down next to him, she rested her head on his warm chest. Why was he always so warm? Maybe it was a firebender thing. Whatever it was, she liked it.

Moving closer, she edged her body until it curved into his. Zuko wrapped his arms gently around her waist, closing his eyes. Before either of them knew it, they had drifted off to sleep. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Kataras eyes slowly fluttered open, finding herself in Zukos soft embrace. Slowly, she rose, waking him as well. How wonderful last night had been, how romantic. Getting to her feet, Katara rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"We should head back to the ship." Zuko said, getting to his feet as well. Katara nodded, smiling sweetly. The two headed off into the forest, when a mischievous glint came in Kataras eyes. Time to get back at him for shoving me in. She thought to herself. Opening her canteen, she sent a small whip of water to splash Zuko in the face. 

He gave her a pretend angry look, to which she responded by giggling. Katara ran forwards, Zuko following close behind. He could have easily caught her if he wanted, but didn't. Katara slowed to a stop when they neared another clearing, unsure of where to go. Zuko came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and gently grabbing her wrists. His warm body softly pressed into hers, much to Kataras enjoyment. They closed their eyes, enjoying the moment.

"Get away from her." An angry voice said. Katara and Zuko looked up into the eyes of a very, very angry Avatar.


	7. A trap is Set

**Chapter 6**

**Authors Note- Fight scene in this chapter, leading up to a reunion! But Zuko isn't to pleased about being stabbed in the back**

**Disclaimer-I don't own Avatar and your just jealous**

Katara gasped as she saw Aang. She didn't know whether or not to be delighted, embarrassed, or worried. Inside, she was feeling all three. Normally, when she looked in his eyes she practically melted. But now…. They were so full of hatred and anger. She didn't even recognize him. What had made him so angry?

Zuko stepped away from her, a small smirk on his face. _How easily you've fallen for my trap Avatar._ Zuko thought. He'd known that the avatar would come after Katara; he knew that the boy had feelings for her. An Avatar never used to have a weakness, but now he did. And Zuko planned to exploit it to its fullest. The smirk grew as he assumed a fire bending stance.

"And if I don't?" He asked, his voice challenging. Aangs eyes narrowed threateningly. Charging forwards, he lifted his staff and brought it down with all his might. A gale force wind barreled into the prince before he had time to make a move. Zuko was knocked backwards, crashing hard into a tree. He staggered to his feet, only to see the avatar launch another attack at him. Not having time to move, Zuko slammed into the tree again. He groaned painfully, what was with the kid? He'd never seen him fight like this before.

An airbenders tactic was to avoid and evade, wait until the opportune moment to strike. But now he was fighting like a fire bender. Launch attack after attack, don't let your foe have a moment to regain himself or strike on his own. It startled Zuko, but only fueled his rage. Jumping to his feet, he shot a column of fire that deflected Aangs latest air wave.

Zuko spun; keeping on one leg while the other twisted and released a powerful column of fire at Aang. The boy created a wall of air that spun the fire into nonexistence. He ran forwards, kicking the air and creating another high-forced wind at Zuko. Quick on his feet, the prince jumped to the left and struck out with a blast of fire. Aang was knocked backwards, wincing as the ball scorched his stomach.

"Stop!" Katara cried, but was completely unheard.

Aang airbended himself up, landing on his feet just as Zuko ran at him with flaming daggers in his hands. Aang ducked as they sliced the air above his head, then jumped as they flew underneath him. While in the air, he lashed out at Zuko with his foot. The prince ducked, running forwards and tackling him out of the air and into the ground. For a moment, Aang lay trapped under the larger boy. Taking in a breath, he blew him off and sent him flying into the forest.

Zuko landed with a heavy thud, lying stunned on the ground for a moment. Suddenly, Aang appeared in his vision. The boy was high in the air, and descending fast. As he landed, a huge forced of air shot out from his feet. Zuko leapt up, but not in time to avoid being sliced by the severity of the attack. While spinning in the air, a multiple number of blasts erupted from his clenched fists. Aang drew in a breath, hurtling the majority of them backwards. One struck his hand, burning it. He recoiled in pain, giving Zuko time to stand.

"I see you've been practicing, but that wont help you." Zuko said, anger causing him to tremble. Aang forgot about his burn and glared at the prince. For a moment, the world held its breath. Sweat trickled down Aangs face, stinging his eyes. Zuko jumped in the air above Aang, seeming to float there for a moment. Suddenly, he plummeted down, fists aflame. Aang jumped to the side as the ground where he'd been before was scorched by Zuko. Seeing another chance, Aang shot a blast of air at the prince, who leapt away from it.

"Stop fighting!" Katara cried as she ran forwards, standing between the two. But Katara had chosen the wrong time and the wrong place. Aang had already launched his air, Zuko his fire. She stood where they would meet.

Katara closed her eyes and screamed as a horrible blast of air tore her body from the ground, rocketing it forwards. She was greeted by the blaring fire that burned and sizzled her skin. Tears feel from her face as the pain intensified. She began fading in and out of consciousness, until her vision went black and the world dulled out.

Aang stood, dumbfounded, as he stared down at Katara. His head jerked up as he stared at Zuko, utter hatred burning in him. He charged forwards, feeling power and strength rush over him. Zuko gasped in surprise as an incredible force of wind and air crashed into his body. It tore his armor right off him, threatening to take his skin to. But suddenly, his world also fell into darkness, leaving one very confused boy standing.

Katara slowly blinked her eyes open, finding herself staring right into a pool of gray, caring eyes of someone else's. Sitting up, she bumped heads with Aang, who recoiled quickly and rubbed his for-head.

"Oww." He said, and then quickly forgot his pain. Spreading his arms, he threw himself at Katara and hugged her tightly.

"Katara, I was so worried about you." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist now. Katara felt…uncomfortable.

_Whats wrong? You're back with Aang!_

_I know, but it feels….different_

_Do you love him?_

_I don't know_

Her eyes opened wider.

"Wheres Zuko?" She asked. Aang sighed, turning away. She didn't even look happy to see him. Katara noticed.

"No Aang, its not that." She said.

"He's back in the forest, probably on his ship after us, after _me_ by now." Aang said icily. Katara tilted her head, confused.

"Aang, whats wrong?" She asked. Aang shook his head, and then turned around smiling.

"Nothing, I'm just happy to see you again!" He said. Katara didn't believe him, something was bothering him. But she didn't push him, she knew he didn't need that right now.

"I'm so glad to see you Aang." She said.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked. Katara looked stunned.

"Zuko? No." She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Aang couldn't help but smile, despite how torn he felt on the inside. He was just so..happy.. to see her again. It was something he couldn't control didn't seem to have any say in at all. Aang slid closer to her.

"I'm so happy your ok, I missed you so much." He said as he put his arm around her waist again. Katara shifted uneasily. She turned to look at Aang, sighing. Suddenly, before she could even gasp, he kissed her.

It wasn't some innocent kiss made by a twelve year old. It was a passionate kiss, filled with longing and love. Katara was startled. She began to pull away, but it felt so right in his arms. She wrapped her hands around his neck, returning their kiss.

Breaking apart, they soft blue and gray eyes meet, melting into each other. Finally, Katara tore her gaze away.

This is so wrong

_What about Zuko_

_You cant LIKE two boys!_

Her mind practically screamed. Katara was so confused. What was going on? Why couldn't she control her own feelings? Slowly, she stood up. Aang looked up, confused.

"I'm just going for a walk, maybe to practise waterbending." She said. Aang nodded as she walked away.

Katara sat down by the river, needing some time to think. How could she choose between Aang and Zuko? She loved them both so much, and she was betraying them both. She was so deep in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the bright golden eyes watching her through narrowed slits.

Aang parted the brush, looking for the water tribe girl. A smile came over his face as he saw he sitting by the river. Of course, he knew she'd be near water. It was apart of her. Walking over, he sat down next to her.

"Hey Katara, what are you thinking?" He asked innocently.

Oh, just thinking about when I kissed Zuko

_And how Im stabbing you in the back_

_A little of knowing I broke your heart_

"Nothing, just enjoying the silence." She said, forcing a smile. Katara closed her eyes and leaned backwards.

Wait a little longer 

_For the perfect chance._

Aang nodded, not hearing the annoyed snort from the bushes.

"I'd like to be alone for a little bit." She said. Aang looked over, puzzled, but got up.

"Okay, I'll be back at the camp." He said, walking off. Katara smiled after him, not noticing the tall form of Zuko emerge from the bushes. He wore an angry, no furious face, but quickly wiped it off as she turned around.

She still has feelings for him!

_It was all a trick_

_She stabbed you in the back!_

Its time to return the favor

Zuko was flaming inside. He trusted someone, he loved someone, and they did this to him? Yet he concealed it all. If his plan was to work, she needed to think everything was ok.

"Zuko!" She said, happily running over to him.

"Hi Katara." He said weakly. Katara looked up at him, confused by his own lack of happiness. Then again, Zuko had never been the happy type.

"Listen, I want to see you again. Will you come to my ship tonight?" He asked. Katara smiled.

"Of course." She said. Zuko nodded.

"I have to get back now." He said, disappearing into the forest. Now Katara was growing irritated. _Hasn't he EVER head of good-bye!_ She thought, placing her hands on her hips.

Zuko slowly walked away from Katara, a maniacal smirk on his face. His eyes were narrowed, yet they always were. His plan WOULD work, and the avatar would be his. Tonight, things would really happen.

Edit Note-Ah, had to edit this. Forgot to take out the sentence "suddenly aangs startled gasp….", was gonna have Zuko attack then but changed my mind. Btw abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1, not anything like that really, just some interesting things. If you ask me, I let Aang get over the whole betrayal thing a little fast, so I'm gonna say that he thought Zuko kid-napped her..shhhh


	8. I think Hes Mad

**Chapter 7 ******

**Authors Note-Reviews rock, thanks! I was pretty fast with the chapters, didn't have anything to do yesterday. To answer your questions, its called Grey Eyes Watching because 1)I couldn't think of anything better, and 2) it said that Katara thought she saw Aangs gray eyes watching her and Zuko after they went shopping;). Zuko knew that Aang would be chasing after him and Katara, and wanted to give him time to catch up. Of course, he couldn't tell Katara that so he lied to her. Aang didn't want to run out in the middle of all of Zukos firebenders and what not while he was watching, so he waited. And I'm gonna say that Zuko didn't know whether to think of Katara as bait or more, so he couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk)…wow, long note. ******

**Disclaimer- I don't own Avatar ****  
****Katara slowly slid out of her sleeping bag, checking to make sure Sokka and Aang were asleep. Getting up, she began tip-toeing away. Walking into the forest, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Now, where was Zukos ship? Closing her eyes, she could hear waves splashing in the distance. His ship was near an ocean, and an ocean had waves. ****  
**  
Zuko watched Katara stir in her sleeping bag, and waited patiently until she was awake and out of the camp until he moved. He had to make sure the avatar was awake. Slowly, he reached for an acorn that he'd stashed in his pocket. Aiming carefully, he hurled it at the sleeping airbender. Aang jolted awake, looking around for his attacker. Seeing an acorn lying on the ground, he assumed that it'd fallen from a tree. They were in a forest after all!

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked over at Sokka and Katara…Except Katara wasn't there. Jumping onto his feet, Aang noticed her soft footprints leading into the forest. He grabbed his staff and began following them, followed quietly by a delighted prince.

By the time Katara reached his ship, Zuko had made it back and was now safely hidden in a nearby tree. He kept his eyes peeled for the avatar, who was bound to show up eventually. In the mean time, there was little to look at but the beautiful water tribe girl before him. Still, seeing her sent a fresh wave of anger over him.

He crouched, getting ready to attack as soon as the moment presented itself. Impatience began to show its ugly face as the wait dragged on, until finally it ended.

"Katara?" He heard an all-to-familiar voice question. Katara turned around, stunned. A small smirk grew over Zukos faces, things were finally going according to plan.

"Aang!" She gasped, surprised. Aang, the avatar, had a hurt expression on his face. This only added to Zukos amusement.

"What are you doing here?" The airbender demanded. Katara shifted uneasily.

"I—well…" She said, unable to think of an excuse.

"You were waiting to see Zuko, weren't you." Aang said. Not as dumb as I thought. Zuko thought to himself, watching his prey like a hawk. His muscles tensed, ready to attack. Yet his mind told him to wait. 

"I-no…welll….yes." Katara said finally with a sigh. Aang closed his eyes and bowed his head in sorrow. Katara had gone and broken his heart, again. Nows my chance. Zuko realized. 

------------------------------------------------------- 

Katara didn't know what to say to the young avatar. She'd broken his heart for the second time. How many times could he put it back together. She didn't know what to say, what to do. All she could do was stand there, oblivious to the danger that was so near.

A select number of fire benders quietly stayed hidden behind the railings of the ship. Three of them were among the trees, awaiting a signal from their leader. But at the moment, Zuko was lost deep in his own thoughts.

_Its either her or him _

_That's a risk I'm willing to take _

His gaze averted, traveling up to the awaiting fire benders. He raised his hand, and they all crouched in preparation. Swinging it down, the group of men leapt from the ship.

Katara began to spin around, hearing them. Before she could open her canteen, or even get a close enough look at them due to the darkness, she felt something hard strike the back of her head. Falling to the ground, she blacked out.

Aangs head jerked up to see Katara fall. He gritted his teeth, seeing the fire nation soldiers. Spinning his staff for a moment, he slammed it on the ground that sent a wave powerful enough to knock them against the ship. He charged forwards, preparing to deal another blow.

But Zuko, who was still unseen by the avatar, was faster. Swiftly jumping from his branch, he landed in a spider-man(don't ask) like post, swinging his foot at Aangs legs. The boy didn't have time to stop before they were pulled from under him, and tumbled to the ground.

Aang slowly got onto his knees, dazed. Zuko took full advantage of this, swinging another hard kick that struck him right in the head. Aang fell backwards, his vision fading. Grunting, he staggered to his feet to face Zuko.

His head was spinning from the sheer force of the last attack. Zuko frowned, why wasn't the boy unconscious yet? Running forwards, he threw his fist right into the avatars gut. Aang fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Finally, he couldn't hold on any longer. The last thing he saw was the prince standing above him, an all to smug look on his face.

"Katara. Katara! Wake up!" Sokka said, shaking his sister. Kataras eyes slowly blinked open, seeing her brother standing above her. Slowly, she put her hands behind her and moved up into a sitting position.

"Sokka?" She asked, still dazed. Sokka wrapped his arms around her.  
"You had me worried! What were you thinking, wandering off alone at night!" Sokka demanded, pulling away from her. Katara ignored his questions, her eyes widening.

"Where's Aang?" She asked. Sokka shook his head.

"I can't find him anywhere. Its not like Aang to just disappear, I think the fire nation has him." Sokka said. Katara couldn't believe it, Zuko wouldn't do that.  
"Are you sure he's not just…on a walk?" Katara asked, though her worry was clear.

"I'm sure, it had to be Zuko." Sokka said. Sokka knew that Zuko wouldn't harm Katara, at least not more then this. Had it been Zhao or someone else that caught Aang…. They wouldn't have been so merciful. The thought made Sokka shudder.

Katara couldn't believe this. Zuko had used her as bait! Was that all she ever was to him? A tool to catch Aang? Something to lure him out of hiding? Rage filled her, like something she'd never felt before. How could he? Had his whole love thing been an act, a lie?

"He—I.." Katara couldn't speak. Tears poured from her eyes, rolling down her face and splattering on the ground. Sokka sighed, wrapping his arms around her again and holding her gently.

"Don't worry Katara, we'll save him." Sokka assured her. Katara nodded, though her tears continued to fall freely.  
_You're so stupid! __  
__Zuko never loved you, it was all a trap __  
__it was a trick __  
__and you fell for it._  
Katara wondered if Zuko really had loved her. Was Aang okay? Had Zuko hurt him? Katara couldn't keep her mind from spinning, yelling question after question at her.

Finally, she regained herself. Slowly, she rose to her feet, shaking. Sokka got up as well, and the two siblings walked in silence as they returned to the camp.  
"Appa, come on!" Sokka said, once they had packed everything and loaded it onto the bison. Both he and his sister were eager to set off, to save their friend. Momo quickly made his way up the bisons tail, followed by Katara.

"Yip Yip." Sokka said, slapping the reigns. Appa grunted, heaving himself to his feet and taking flight. It wasn't long before they were sailing over the clear ocean, but couldn't find anything close to a fire navy ship in its waters. Sokka sighed, leaning back on Appa. Katara however, was intently watching incase they missed the ship.

--------------------------------------------

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours. Katara felt like time was taking its own sweet time about sliding by. It felt like they'd been flying an eternity. A worried, troubled eternity. Suddenly, her soft blue eyes shot open.

"A Ship!" She exclaimed. Sokka looked up hopefully, to find that she was right. A small fire nation ship was steaming through the ocean, not far from them. It was Zuko.

"Zukos ship." Sokka said. Katara bit her lip, unsure of what to do know. How did they know Aang was even aboard? But they had to try, they had to find him. Appa immediately dove for the ship, but Sokka swiftly reigned him up.

"We cant just land on his ship and find Aang, we need to sneak on." He said, slowing the bison down. Appa slowly descended into the ocean, swimming along behind the ship. Sokka narrowed his eyes, looking for something to help them aboard the ship.

"There." He whispered, seeing a chain that feel from the side of the ship. Appa speed up enough to allow the water tribe boy to grasp the chain and begin climbing.

"Stay close." Katara said to Appa, though she doubted he understood her. How was it that they could understand Aang fine, but when she'd asked Momo to get some water he'd seemed oblivious to her? Shrugging the thought off, she climbed up after Sokka.

With a grunt, Sokka's head poked out on the ship deck. To his surprise, it seemed pretty bare. Motioning for Katara to follow, he climbed up and inched his way towards the stairs. Aang had told him about them from when he and Zuko first meet, and Sokka assumed that they'd keep him in that cell.

The two siblings swiftly made their way to the steps, halting at the top to peer down. To their dismay, three fire benders guarded the door. It had to be Aang, what else would need guards? Sokka tried to come up with a plan, while Kataras eyes remained glued to the door.

Katara turned to Sokka, having come up with something.

"Sokka, I need you to distract the guards." She said.

"What, how?" He asked.

"I don't know, run past them or something." She replied.

"You got it, I'll run past the people who can shoot fire at me and you stay back here, good plan." Sokka said, frowning. Katara glared at him.

"No you idiot, just keep their attention for a minute." She growled.

"Don't tell me your afraid of a couple of fire soldiers?" Sokka drew back as if she'd spat on him.

"Me, afraid of the fire nation? No way." He said, crossing his arms.

"Fine, but you better know what your doing." He said, sighing. Getting up, Sokka ran down the steps and towards the fire benders. They immediately saw him, taking up their fighting stance.

A sudden column of fire blared straight at Sokka. He gave a surprised yelp and dove onto the ground, feeling its heat as it blew past him. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and rounded the corner, barley avoiding another blast. Turning, he pulled out his boomerang and prepared for another attack, but none came.

Katara stood near the soldiers, who were now completely frozen. Sokka smirked as he walked over, then saw a key attached to the belt of the nearest one. Katara managed to waterbend just enough ice away so they could grab it.

Katara was so eager to see Aang that she could barley keep her hand from trembling as she inserted the key. Sokka groaned, knowing they didn't have time for this.

"Give me the key." He demanded, taking it from her hand and shouldering her aside. Quickly, he unlocked the door and swung in open, revealing a dark cell. Chained to the wall in front of them stood a lone figure, dressed in yellow and orange. The young airbenders head jerked up, fire in his eyes as he expected Zuko.

They didn't soften upon seeing that it was his friends, which only added to Kataras worry. As she took the key and approached him, she heard Aang snarl;

"What do you want?" She looked up at him, stunned.

"What? To help you." She replied.

"Help me? Yeah right." Aang scoffed, growing angrier by the minute.

"We don't have time for this, come on." Katara said, unlocking Aangs chains and grabbing his arm. To her surprise, he jerked away. Walking over to the corner, Aang grabbed his staff and strode out, ignoring Katara and Sokka.

"Why is he acting like this was our fault?" Sokka asked. Katara felt tears threaten her eyes, but forced them back. _Because it was mine._ She thought bitterly.

"I don't know." She said before following Aang. He was already on the deck of the ship, impatiently waiting for Appa. The siblings walked over to him, but still he acted as if they weren't there.

_He has every right to be mad._

Katara thought to herself, barley able to stand seeing Aang this way, knowing it was all her fault. Suddenly, Aang assumed and airbending pose, facing Katara.

_Is he going to attack me?_

_Is he that mad?_

Katara thought, stepping back. Aangs face was one of sheer rage, anger that he couldn't control. Bringing his staff upwards, he slammed it on the ground, sending a powerful wave of air busting out from under it and zipping through the air.

**Dun Dun Dun! Is Aang really attacking Katara? Oooo…who knows?**


	9. Zhao

**Chapter 9 **

Authors Note-You probably all guessed that someone was behind Katara, not much of a cliff-hanger person. Anyways, go frozenheat, katarawater, watcher of hearts, Aashi, abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1, and Brix! Btw Aashi, I really appreciate your advice! Me and logic…never really went together lol. I guess I overlook things easy. But in that Zutara part, Zuko didn't have any other fire benders around, just when they set that trap for Aang. Zuko didn't think that Katara would follow him into the woods, he just heard her once they were in. Thought I'd add another fight scene into the story

**Disclaimer-I don't own Avatar **

(By the way, this part happens right after Aang gets knocked out)

Zhao smirked, all to pleased to see Zuko and his men carrying an unconscious avatar onto their ship. No, he didn't want the prince to take the avatar back to the fire nation, to claim all the glory. But he'd just caught the avatar for him.

Putting down the telescope he'd been looking through, Zhao called out to the crewman;

"Keep the ship out of sight until I give the order." He said.

(back to the present)

Katara gasped, putting her arms up in a weak attempt to defend herself. She braced for it to hit her, but all she felt was the wind tug at her as it flew by. Hearing a grunt, she turned around to see Zhao sprawled on the ground.

A very unhappy Zuko came running up the stairs, staring first at Aang then at Zhao. Zhao? What's he think he's doing on my ship? Zuko thought.

"Get off my ship." The young prince snarled, his voice low and threatening. Zhao got to his feet, facing the angry teen. By now, a large group of fire benders were on the ship, both from Zuko and Zhaos crew.

"Who do you think you are, ordering an Admiral around like that?" Zhao said tauntingly.

"I'm Prince Zuko-" He began, but was cut off.

"Banished prince, you hold no authority over me. Now hand over the avatar." Zhao demanded. Zuko gritted his teeth, trying to contain his anger.

"If you haven't noticed yet, he's no longer in my custody." Zuko said, motioning over to wear Aang and his friends stood.

"I knew that you couldn't handle this responsibility. You can't even contain a mere child?" Zhao said, his gaze also diverting into Aangs direction.

"He's no mere child, and you know it." Zuko whispered through his teeth. Zhao frowned, growing more irritated by the minute. Suddenly, Zhao spun around, palms exposed. A large column of fire shoot out, lunging towards Aang. The airbender leapt into the air, spinning his staff to ease it off. Zuko, enraged that Zhao would try and take his prisoner, his ticket home, launched a ball of fire at Zhao.

The admiral, distracted by Aang, was hit squarely in the gut. He grunted, falling backwards. Aang leapt at him, staff in the air. Quickly, he swung it like a bat and sent another sharp blast of air at him. Zhao jumped to his feet, barley avoiding it. As he did so, he swung his foot and sent another attack at Zuko.

By now, all of the fire benders seemed locked in combat, and Appa was no where to be seen. Sokka pulled out his boomerang, hurling it at the nearest soldier. It struck his helmet, not harming him but giving him a rather large headache. Turning around, he prepared to fire at the warrior. Katara, quickly moving into her stance, brought a water whip to hit him with.

Aang looked over his shoulder, smiling as he saw Appa flying near the side of the ship by Katara and Sokka. The bison attempted to land right in the middle of the ship near Aang, but every time he flew any higher he was quickly bombarded with attacks from all of the soldiers.

Aang began to run over to him, but skidded to a stop as a column of fire shot through the air right in front of him, cutting him off. Looking over, he barley had time to duck before Zuko launched another attack at him.

"Katara, Sokka. Get on Appa and fly, I'll be fine!" He called out. Katara stared at him for a moment, her eyes growing larger and watering.

"Aang, we're not leaving you!" She cried out. Aang cast her an annoyed look. Being distracted, he didn't have time to avoid the next attack that was contributed by Zhao. Sokka immediately saw that he and Katara needed to leave.

"Come on Katara! We're distracting him, we need to leave. We'll come back, don't worry." He said, pulling Katara towards the edge. She reluctantly followed, climbing aboard the bison.

"Yip yip." Sokka said, steering the bison up away from the ship and into the clouds. Now all they could do was wait.

"Ahh!" Aang cried as Zhao and Zuko fired at him at the same time. Leaping into the air, he created a swirling ball that blocked the attacks. Turning, he began to run down the stairs trying to get away from the fight.

Zuko took off after him, only to be shot from the side by Zhao. The prince flew to the ground while Zhao tore off down the stairs. Grumbling, Zuko got to his feet and followed him.

Aang jumped as he ran, swinging around and sending a blast that knocked Zhao backwards into Zuko. Zuko angrily shoved the admiral off him, running after Aang who'd rounded the corner by now. Zhao jumped up and went after them as well. Pulling back his arms, he clenched his fists and shot them forwards. His fire struck Zuko in the back, knocking him to the ground. Zhao quickly leapt over the prince, firing now at the avatar that stood before him.

Aang spun around on the balls of his toes, using his staff to hurl the fire along with the two benders backwards. Wheeling around, he began to run the other way. Aang began panting heavily as he ran down the endless hallways. He didn't even know how to get out of here now! He glanced over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone was following. The empty hallway behind him comforted the boy, but suddenly he ran into something.

"Oooffff." Aang said as he fell to the ground. He looked up, seeing a very angry fire nation admiral standing over him. Aang used his hands to support him as he swung his lower body upwards, bringing his feet around to knock Zhao's out from under him. The firebender jumped quickly, easily avoiding the attack. While, in mid-air, he fired another column at Aang.

Aang used his airbending to flip backwards, landing on his feet and putting his staff in front of him. Aang lifted it above, ready to deal another blow. Before he had a chance, it was torn from his grasp. Aang began to look around, right before a strong hand lifted him up by his collar. Zuko tossed the staff aside, yet still held fast to Aang as he hung in the air. Aang brought his elbow forward, then roughly shot it back to hit Zuko into he gut.

"Owwww." Aang said as he struck the princes hard Armour. Aang grabbed his arm unhappily, then turned up in time to see a column a fire rushing at them. Gasping, he lifted his legs backwards, pressing them against Zuko and shoving off. Free of his grasp, Aang landed on the ground as the fire flew over him, instead hitting the prince. Zuko fell backwards, motionless.

Zhao strode over to him, ready to deal a final blow. Aangs eyes widened. Even if Zuko was the enemy, even if he'd tried to take Aang prisoner, he was still a person. Grabbing his staff, he ran forward and released a powerful blast that knocked the admiral against the wall.

Before he even moved, Aang knew that he was in trouble. Zhao wasn't mad, he wasn't angry, he was furious. Regaining himself, he immediately began firing at the young boy. Aang yelped as one column hit him, sending him crashing into the wall of the ship. His head banged against it, causing his vision to begin to fade.

Oh no, I am not passing out with these two here. Aang thought to himself. Groaning, he blinked his eyes. Zhao was just shooting another blast at him, which Aang leapt to the side to avoid. Still, his mind was spinning, leaving him unable to bend for the moment. Zhao knew that the boy was dangerously close to falling unconscious, and once that happened nothing could stand in his way.

Zhao stood before Aang..Well actually, he towered above the smaller boy. Aangs breath came in rapid successions, his energy fading. _How much longer can I keep this up_? He wondered. Just as Zhao began to finish the battle, he fell to the ground uncurious.. Aang looked at him, puzzled. Tilting his head, he saw Zuko behind him.

_Ohh man_. Aang thought as Zuko advanced on him. Assuming his fighting stance, Zuko unleashed a swift blast at the young airbender. Aang finally cleared his head, raising his arms to create a small ball of air that was enough to direct the fire into the wall. Wheres my staff? Aang wondered. Looking around, he noticed it lying on the floor behind Zuko.

Aang began running forwards, straight at the teen. Zuko wondered what he was up to, while firing a huge column at him. Aang kept running, waiting until he could feel the heat of the flames. Taking a deep breath, he extended his legs and slid on the ground, going right between Zukos legs. Righting himself, he grabbed his staff and spun around in time to avoid another attack.

_I need to get out of here_. Aang thought to himself, he couldn't keep this up much longer. Zuko quickly lunged at the boy, who didn't have time to react. His hand tightly grabbed Aangs throat, picking him up and shoving him against the wall. Aang wrapped his own hands around Zukos wrist, trying desperately to pull him off.

Aang attempted to suck in a breath of air so he could airbend, but found that even breathing was becoming difficult with Zuko tight grasp. Aangs vision began to fade black and white, his mind spinning and his grip loosening. Finally, he allowed himself to go limp in Zukos grasp, hanging onto consciousness for dear life.


	10. Goodbye

Chapter 9 

**Authors Note: Hmm..Authors Note sounds to formal for me, oh well. Anyways, thanks abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1, aashi, and Yumi52IshiyamaQ. Don't worry about it Aashi, it was good advise! Ooo…looks like you saw what was coming lol.. This story had a bit more drama then I would have preferred, but I thought it was descent for my second fic. Short Chapter, I hope you all enjoyed this story! Don't be afraid to post, telling me things I could have improved on or what you thought. **

Disclaimer-Oooo…you caught me. A 14 year old girl came up with the idea for the greatest show ever when she was 11, how did you know? I'm just kiddin, I don't own Avatar.

Aang blinked, trying to get his vision back. To his relief, it slowly returned, only to be ebbed out by blackness. Aang tried desperately to take in another breath, only to have Zukos grip tighten. Going limp in the prince's grasp, Zuko smirked. Finally.

As Zuko began to let go, he gasped. Aangs eyes were open, but they sure weren't gray. The boy's eyes and tattoo's were growing a ghastly blue, the wind around them beginning to pick up.

_Uh oh._ Zuko thought. He'd seen the avatar like this before when they'd first meet, and knew it was nothing good for him. Refocusing on Aang, he didn't have time to react before a ball of air began forming around him. It slowly picked up, gaining more speed and power by the second. Zuko could feel the wind becoming sharper, slicing at his skin with its intenseness.

He drew back, a shocked look on his face. Aangs razor eyes glared at him for a moment. Drawing his hand back, he shot an amazingly powerful blow at Zuko. Had there been a wall directly behind him, the prince would have no doubt been crushed. Lucky for him, there was nothing but a long stretch of empty hall behind him.

The sheer strength knocked Zuko out before he even hit the wall, denting it. Aang continued to raise, the metal walls of the ships peeling off. He was like a living tornado.

The crew had stopped fighting, feeling the heavy vibrations coming from below them. They all glanced at each other, unsure of what was going out. Suddenly, a blue light erupted up, easily blowing away the floor of the deck and revealing the avatar.

Zukos men had also seen Aang like this; they knew that it was far to idiotic to attack the boy. Yet Zhaos men seemed as hard headed as their leader. Quickly they fired at him, but their attacks simply dissipated in the wind. Aang turned to face them, motioning his arms.

The air tore the men from the ground, hurling them into the ocean of on top of the ship. But Aang could only stay like this for so long. His glowing faded, lowering him to the ground. Aang staggered on his feet for a moment, but was unable to keep his balance. He feel forward, blinking weakly.

"Aang!" He heard Sokkas voice call. He looked up to see Appas large body land on the ship next to him.

Sokka and Katara leapt off and ran over to Aang. Grabbing his arms, they gently hoisted him to his feet.

"Come on, we have to get out of here." Sokka said as they lead Aang to Appa.

"Aang." Katara said, leaning over and putting her hand on Aangs shoulder. Aang didn't jerk away, but he didn't look at her either.

_She betrayed you,_

_She helped Zuko catch you,_

She doesn't even like you 

His thoughts only angered the airbender, but Aang managed to keep it under control.

"Listen Aang, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." She said.

"Sorry's not going to change anything." Aang mumbled. Katara sighed.

"Aang, I didn't know Zuko was setting a trap. I didn't know I was just bait. You know that you cant always choose who you love." She said. Aang turned to face her, his eyes unreadable.

"I guess Katara, it's just…" He began.

"You don't have to say anything." Katara interrupted him, wrapping her arms around the boy and hugging him tightly.

"I know that you like me, and I like you. But I think we should wait until we're both older before we're..well, more then friends." Katara said. Aang didn't know wether or not to trust her, was she lying?

"Okay Karara." He said smiling. He was just glad to have everything back to normal.

"Hey, where's the rest of my seal jerky?" Sokka demanded.

"You really know how to ruin a moment don't you?" Katara said, putting her hands on her hips despite the fact that she was sitting down.

"What?" He asked.

"You heard me."

"Its not my fault you two ate all my jerky!" Sokka said.

"Aangs a vegitarion, and I didn't eat your stupid jerky." Katara snapped.

"Your right, what was I thinking? It must have got up and walked away. Duh."

Aang smiled, laying back against Appas saddle. _Home sweet home._

Zuko inspected the damage Aang did to his ship…things weren't looking good. It was repairable, but it would be about a week before they could even think about chasing after the Avatar again.

But Zuko wasn't just chasing the avatar anymore. There was another prize to be won at the end of all this, Katara. He could still feel her head resting on his chest, her lips gently brushing against his. Those seemed like moments he would never forget. The Avatar was his, nothing could stand in his way.

Zuko stared out into the ocean, in the direction the crew said they saw the bison fly. Zhao and his men had been "escorted" off the ship, and by that I mean their probably floating on a piece of driftwood somewhere. Zhao had left his ship near Zukos, and the prince assumed that he wouldn't be to pleased to find that they'd taken some parts from it to fix his own ship.

Watching the clear ocean, he couldn't help but see her eyes.

"Goodbye."


End file.
